“Based on a $200 a month payment for electricity, each houshold would pay $72,000 over 30 years.”
Does the $1 billion include operating and maintenance expenses for 30 years?
IMO solar has its uses but its extremely inefficient for the generation of electricity. When new the solar cells convert somewhere around 10% of the energy they take in. As the cells age that efficiency declines.
And then there are the toxic byproducts from the manufacturing process.
The key to this project is summed up in this sentence “It will be able to power 70,000 households while avoiding more than 400,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, according to Abengoa. “
The project is about global warming.
The big item omitted from many cost estimates is the additional transmission capacity. In Texas, the officials will not even put a cost on the additional transmission capacity for wind farm projects. I have seen estimates as high as $3 billion for the additional transmission capacity. The dirty secret about generating capacity is the transmission capacity. If a power company tries to build a traditional plant, public officials will not approve transmission capacity. However, the same officials will bend over backwards to approve additional transmission capacity for their favored forms of power.
The rat plan involves much less future consumption. Future increases in energy costs will automatically lead to lower consumption. If higher prices do not work, the rats will just ration the limited power.
Wow! You have a probelm for every solution!